Seaman Michael D. Hilbert tosses a heaving line to Petty Officer 3rd Class David W. Feather and Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristopher G. Mosgrober during a towing drill conducted by crewmembers of Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light, N.J., Friday, Nov. 21, 2008.
Members of Station Barnegat Light conduct drills with a standardization team every two years to assess their readiness to respond to mariners in need of assistance. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Lindberg)
16. General Dynamics NASSCO Lays Keel of Third Product Carrier
On Nov. 24, General Dynamics NASSCO of San Diego, California, a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) , held a keel-laying ceremony for its third product carrier. The ship is being built for U.S. Shipping Partners and is scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2009.
NASSCO began construction of the ship in July. It will be 600 feet long and have a cargo capacity of 331,000 barrels. The ship will be used in coastal trade, carrying petroleum and chemical products.
U.S. Shipping Partners previously announced that the ship will be named Sunshine State, the state nickname of Florida. Sunshine State will be part of the "State" class of product carriers, all of which are named after state nicknames. The previous two ships are Golden State and Pelican State, named in honor of California and Louisiana, respectively.
In addition to the product carrier vessels General Dynamics NASSCO is building dry cargo-ammunition ships for the U.S. Navy.
(www.nassco.com)